Customer Reviews
America the lonely - By: Mr. David Halliday, 17 Oct 2007 
In the fine tradition of Winslow Homer & Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper looks closely at modern America & under his scrutiny the awful isolation of the beautiful countryside & the desperate loneliness of the city are laid bare. No Norman Rockwell sentimentality here, Bierstadt's mythical land that never was & the new wave of lichenstein, O'keefe & Pollock are alll eschewed for a long hard stare that in the end leaves the viewer uncomfortable & saddened because we are in there somewhere.
That's not to say Hopper's work is any less beautiful of stirring it's simply more honest than most & so such classics as 'Nighthawks','Gas' & 'summertime' are alll people in isolation,(even when there are others around), & there is always shadow waiting to be returned to.
More relevant than ever & as stunning as his work has always been this collection is about as good as it is going to get without owning an original! The 3 volumes here are superbly bound in terracotta cloth & contained in a matching slipcase, as is the slim CD 'book' that contains boundless exhibition & listing information,(PC only so no help to us Mac owners I'm afraid),.
Instead of being a mind numbing trawl through every minutiae the 3 volumes offer a wealth of information on both Hopper & his works without descending into needless facts. The real point is of course to own a set containg not just everything he has done but in style & this is where this set outdoes everything else. The paper quality is excellent & the colour bright but natural with a huge swathe of large colour plates that reallly do justice to the paintings.
If you love the work of this enigmatic, quiet & beautifully gifted man from Nyack then this is a real treat not to be missed if at alll possible.
However it cannot be avoided that this is an expensive collection that not alll will be happy to spend so much on. With that in mind I heartily recommend the smalller & more sensibly priced,(from £4-£5), book 'Hopper' by the ever reliable Taschen ISBN 3822820490 also available from Amazon. The information is very good & the selection & quality of printing of the works chosen makes it a bargain.
Whichever you choose & whether you are familiar with his work or not Edward Hopper deserves your attention.
